Empowering Women Empowers Nation
For hundreds of years women have fought for their equal rights, opportunities, and freedom. From the suffragists in the early 20th century seeking the right to vote, to today’s online activists challenging the male-oriented order, each generation has persistently pushed boundaries, shattered glass-ceilings, and refused to back down To commemorate centuries of effort by women and to raise awareness on the need for gender-equality and women’s empowerment, the world observes International Women’s Day (IWD) annually on 8 March.
In Kuwait, under the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and the guidance of HIs HIghness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the government has been taking several measured steps aimed at enhancing the role of women, and empowering them to contribute effectively to social, economic, political, and cultural development of the country.
In line with directives of the leadership, and based on the conviction that progress and growth of Kuwait cannot be achieved without the active participation and contribution of women, the government, headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, has been initiating policies and plans that prioritize the involvement of women in all spheres, as well as enabling them to realize their full rights.
In the latest move to ensure equal rights for women, Minister of Justice, Nasser Al-Sumait announced in February that the government is considering repealing Article 153 of the 1960 Penal Code. Article 153 grants a reduced sentence for ‘men who kill a wife, mother, daughter, or sister caught in adultery’. Abolishing the discriminatory law has been a consistent demand by women’s groups and human-rights activists in Kuwait for years. The law has also been a stumbling block for Kuwaiti delegations attending international human- and women-rights talks.
Minister Al-Sumait stressed that Article 153 has no basis in Islamic law and causes more harm than good. He stated, “It discriminates between men and women and also contradicts Kuwait’s obligations under international agreements, particularly, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. He explained that after the abolition of this article, the killing of women will be treated like any other murder case, with the standard provisions of the Penal Code applied to the accused.
Repealing Article 153 helps promote gender-equality, provide justice to women, and aligns Kuwait’s laws with international human rights norms. Abolishing the law is also in line with Article 29 of the Constitution, which states: ‘All people are equal in human dignity and in public rights and duties before the law, without distinction to race, origin, language, or religion’.
In recent decades, Kuwait has enacted laws, adopted legislations, and implemented measures in support of women and their rights. In 2005, in what is described as a seminal decision for women’s rights and gender-equality, the National Assembly passed a law granting women full political rights, enabling them to vote and run in elections like their male counterparts.
Although the legislative decision did not uproot deeply entrenched conservative views on women’s role, or remove prevailing patriarchal norms in society, it nonetheless gave women a political say, and a participatory role in the democratic process governing the country. Since the passage of the universal suffrage bill, parliament has witnessed the presence of several female ministers and parliamentarians.
In line with the government initiative to empower women, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor has sponsored many projects that support women, including helping them set up their own businesses to provide a steady income and make them economically independent. The private sector has also contributed to the economic advancement of women, with more than 40 companies contributing to initiatives aimed at empowering women economically.
The government has also established the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in 2006, and tasked the Council to collaborate with civil society organizations to protect families and children. In 2015, to mark the 10th anniversary of the women gaining the vote and in recognition of the long struggle by Kuwaiti women to achieve the right to political participation, the government designated 16 May annually as Kuwait Women’s Day.
However, it is the enactment of Law No.16 in 2020 by parliament that is often considered a watershed moment in the struggle to eliminate violence against women in society and within families. The law not only provides a comprehensive legislative framework to protect women from domestic violence, it also addresses many of the legal gaps that previously existed. In particular, it establishes a clear definition of domestic violence that extends beyond physical violence to include verbal, economic, sexual and psychological violence.
Law No.16, for which executive regulations were issued only in 2023, also provides immediate protection mechanisms by establishing temporary shelters to provide safe haven for victims, and a hotline to receive domestic violence complaints. Additionally, the law provides for counseling and legal assistance measures for victims, and allows for emergency restraining orders to prevent abusers from contacting their victim.
Additionally, in alignment with UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which urges all actors to increase participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in peace and security efforts, the government in December 2023 established the National Committee for Women, Peace and Security (WPS). The committee works to prevent violence and discrimination against women; create an enabling space for women entrepreneurs; encourage women in leadership roles; and promote women’s contributions to peace and security.
In October 2024, on the 24th anniversary of UN Resolution 1325, the Peace Day Forum was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator Office, the EU Delegation, and NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. Speakers at the forum highlighted Kuwait’s achievements in promoting the WPS agenda, and the country’s advancement to third place in the Arab World and 61st spot among 177 countries surveyed on WPS.
Kuwait has achieved significant successes over the years on gender-parity, and women’s empowerment. In a reflection of the government’s keenness to empower women, the current cabinet lineup includes three female ministers. Today, women make up more than 58 percent of the workforce in Kuwait, occupying nearly 60 percent of jobs in the public sector and 48 percent in the private sector. In the government sector, over 28 percent of women employed hold executive positions, including as ministers, undersecretaries and assistant-undersecretaries.
Foreign ministry has 144 female diplomats, while 47 percent of senior positions in the Ministry of Defense are held by women. Additionally, 19 women have been appointed in the National Guard, and there are over 900 female police personnel. Four women were appointed managers in the Public Prosecution, and there are 88 public prosecutors and 19 judges in the Ministry of justice.
Women also occupy 54 percent of the total workforce in Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), and 41 percent of executive posts in the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK), as well as 26 percent of executive jobs in private sector banks. While these achievements are certainly commendable, this is no reason for complacency; there is much more work to be done, and the time to start is right now.
Although the world has come a long way in terms of gender parity,it is still a long way away from achieving it. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), none of us will see gender-equality in our lifetime, and nor will our children. Studies by the WEF show that at the current rate of progress it will take until 2158, which is roughly five generations from now, to reach full gender parity worldwide.
